Gillette Law July 2017

Call Now! 757-220-4529 GilletteLawGroup.com

ILLETTE

GAZETTE

JULY 2017

WE ALL HAVE GIFTS TO SHARE ONLINE LESSONS

HOW MY SON AND YOUTUBE HELPED ME TIE THE KNOT

I actually love using the internet for its instructional offerings. I frequently watch TED Talks (https://www.youtube.com/user/ TEDtalksDirector) for their entertainment and educational value. I’ve also been known to watch how-to videos any time a task around the house has me stumped. There are good and bad ways to use the internet, and I think that’s one of the best. The same YouTube instructor who taught Liam also taught his father how to tie a bow tie.

Check it out at https:// youtube/iQct9QAThvM!

Brenda from Coastal Virginia Magazine stopped by to present me with my Top Lawyers plaque!

I started wearing them regularly and really liked it. You don’t have to wear a suit with a bow tie — you can put on a collared shirt and khakis and still look spiffed up. That’s good, because wearing a suit in these summer months can be torturous. As I continued wearing them, I started to get comments from people. It’s just different enough

Growing up, most of us received an abundance of sage wisdom from our fathers. “Always trust your instincts.” “Don’t ask anyone to do anything you aren’t willing to do yourself.” “Never wear a clip-on bow tie.” I told that last one to my 16-year-old son, Liam. A while back, he decided bow ties are pretty cool and started wearing them. I told him, “No self-respecting man wears a clip-on bow tie. If you’re going to wear one, you have to learn how to actually tie it.” Teenagers don’t always listen to their parents, but this advice seemed to work. He committed to learn the art of bow tying. His instructor? Some guy on YouTube. You can learn just about anything online these days. If you’ve never tied a bow tie, it’s pretty tricky to begin with. But he got the hang of it and started wearing them every opportunity he could. I saw him one day and admitted to myself, “He looks pretty sharp.” Despite my advice, I actually didn’t know how to tie a bow tie. But I was intrigued. Around Christmas, I decided to give it a shot. I went to Macy’s and bought a nice bow tie so I could try it for myself.

My 16-year-old son, Liam, got me started wearing bow ties.

to be interesting, but not zany or unprofessional. I started wearing them to hearings, and I felt like judges looked at me differently. Not worse, just more intrigued. I count that as a good thing. It’s funny, because we expect our children to follow our trends, not the other way around. As a father, I do my best to set an example for my children and teach them how to live. I dispense the aforementioned

N e x t D o B

sage wisdom at a pretty rapid clip. But any parent would tell you that they learn more from being a parent than anything else they’ve ever done. It’s nice that the tables turned this time. I’m grateful for my wonderful kids — and Liam’s impeccable sense of style.